[Open vacuum-pack abdomen. An ideal technique for deferred temporary abdominal closure in complications after cytoreduction surgery and intraperitoneal chemotherapy with hyperthermia due to peritoneal cancer].
BACKGROUND
The use of a new therapeutic alternative involving cytoreductive surgery with perioperative intraperitoneal chemotherapy in the treatment of patients suffering from peritoneal carcinomatosis represents a new challenge for the multidisciplinary teams caring for these patients. Their post-operative progress and care needs, apart from differing from those of conventional patients, have not yet been completely defined or protocolised. In this presentation we explain the special characteristics of these patients compared to the usual surgical patients, the possible physiopathological mechanisms which may give rise to the different types of complications, the circumstances when a temporary abdominal closure is necessary, the ideal conditions required for an optimal technique, and finally our experience with the open vacuum abdomen technique in the treatment of the complications that appear in patients treated by this new triple combined therapy.


METHODS
Based on our personal experience in the treatment of 110 cytoreductions carried out between February 1997 and February 2007 on 71 patients suffering from peritoneal carcinomatosis of various origins. Of the 71 patients, 50 (70%) suffered some kind of complication during their postoperative evolution, 28 of them requiring re-operation for a Grade III-IV postoperative complication. The abdominal situation made a temporary closure desirable in 17 patients, having applied an open vacuum abdomen technique on every occasion. We study this group of patients according their original type of tumour and stage of the disease at the cytoreductive procedure, peritonectomies and visceral resections required, type of postoperative complications, treatment applied and evolution.


RESULTS
A total of 52 open vacuum abdomen procedures were required (median, 2.8 per patient; range, 1-10) before the abdominal complication could be completely kept under control in these 17 patients. Only 2 postoperative intestinal fistulas were directly related to this technique, and a primary closure of the whole abdominal wall was possible in 11 of these patients (66%). All but one of them left the hospital alive and well.


CONCLUSIONS
As a consequence of this experience, in our opinion, the open vacuum abdomen is the ideal election technique to be employed in any temporary closure of the abdominal cavity for whatever reason it is required, including the worst possible surgical scenario, as we have demonstrated in the treatment of surgical complications after cytoreductive procedures and intraperitoneal chemohyperthermia.
Gómez Portilla
Alberto
A
Programa de Carcinomatosis Peritoneal, Servicio de Cirugía, Hospital San José, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Alava, España. agomezpor@teleline.es
Cendoya
Ignacio
I
Olabarria
Ignacio
I
Echevarría
Jesús
J
Martínez de Lecea
Concepción
C
Romero
Erika
E
Guede
Nerea
N
Moraza
Nuria
N
Fernández
Elena
E
Kvadatze
Mijail
M
Larrabide
Iñaki
I
Valdovinos
Mercedes
M
Ruiz de Alegría
Natalia
N
Fernández
José Luis
JL
Castillo
Carlos
C
D000005:Abdomen / Q000601:surgery*; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006979:Hyperthermia, Induced; D008297:Male; D054843:Negative-Pressure Wound Therapy; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D019990:Perioperative Care; D010534:Peritoneal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D010537:Peritoneum / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D012086:Reoperation; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents